Audio-visual system, reproducing apparatus, and display device

ABSTRACT

The TV receiver as a display device has a drawing generation unit for generating display side drawing data of drawn picture according to a display format for on-screen display, and a reproducing apparatus has a drawing generation unit for generating reproduction side drawing data of drawn picture according to a display format for display on the TV receiver. The drawing generation unit receives the display format information of the drawing generation unit through a connection cable, and generates reproduction side drawing data of display format based on the received display side display format information. The reproducing apparatus supplies the contents data including the generated reproduction side drawing data to the TV receiver through the connection cable, and the TV receiver presents the drawn picture based on the supplied reproduction side drawing data.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to an audio-visual system, a reproducingapparatus, and a display device composed of a display device having avideo display function such as television receiver, and an externaldevice such as recording and reproducing apparatus to be connectedthereto, and more particularly to an audio-visual system, a reproducingapparatus, and a display device capable of operating an external deviceby using only a remote control device of a display device.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

In a recent progress in multimedia related technology, there is a rapidprogress in the technology about apparatus and method of processingdigital data compressed and coded from contents data. In particular, thecapacity is increasing in recording media, such as hard disk, opticaldisk, or memory card, and in the field of consumer video appliances forrecording video signals and audio signal, it is general to record andhandle digital data of large quantity such as video data. Accordingly,various AV (audio-visual) appliances are presented such as DVD decoderand other recording and reproducing apparatuses, and various devices forhandling video data and audio data are available.

On the other hand, along with increase in the variety of AV appliances,television (or TV) receivers are also demanded to be provided withdigital interface terminals known as multimedia interface in addition tothe conventional analog video input terminals. For this purpose,technologies are proposed about constitution of audio-visual system forconnecting data between TV receiver and external AV appliance throughcommunication means. One of technologies about such audio-visual systemsis the technology of transferring the remote-control signal sent out tothe TV receiver to the AV appliance side via communication means, andallowing the AV appliance to execute the process according to theremote-control signal. Such technology is disclosed, for example,Unexamined Japanese Patent Application No. 2006-333101.

FIG. 9 is a block diagram of a conventional TV information displaysystem for connecting data between a TV receiver and an informationprocessing device through communication means as disclosed in UnexaminedJapanese Patent Application No. 2006-333101. In FIG. 9, TV receiver 92and information processing device 93 are connected by way of informationcommunication line 94.

TV receiver 92 displays the image of TV broadcast received in broadcastreceiving unit 926 in a display screen of information display unit 925.TV receiver 92 makes use of the function of Picture-In-Picture (picturein picture) provided in TV receiver 92, or changes over the inputcompletely to the input from information processing device 93, anddisplays the picture information entered from information processingdevice 93 in part of the image on the display screen. Remote-controlunit 97 receives a remote-control code corresponding to the user'soperation of the remote controller operated by the user. Informationcommunication unit 927 communicates with information processing device93 through information communication line 94. Information processingdevice 93 is an apparatus for collecting information by way of a networksuch as the Internet by means of information collection unit 931. Videogeneration unit 932 generates video information on the basis of theinformation collected by information collection unit 931. Video outputunit 933 produces the video information generated by video generationunit 932 as picture information, and issues to information display unit925 of TV receiver 92 by way of information communication line 94.Information communication unit 934 communicates with TV receiver 92 byway of information communication line 94.

The conventional TV information displays system having suchconfiguration operates as follows. First, TV receiver 92 notices TVoperation information and internal setting information including thechannel code information being viewed at the present, to informationprocessing device 93 through information processing line 94. Informationprocessing device 93 receives the TV operation information and internalsetting information, and searches for channel program and others, andacquires the related information. Information processing device 93generates the picture information of the related program on the basis ofthe related information in its video generation unit 932. Informationprocessing device 93 also generates the display position and sizeinformation on the basis of the own collected information depending onthe type of the picture information to be issued. The pictureinformation generated in video generation unit 932 is supplied fromvideo output unit 933 to information display unit 925 throughinformation communication line 94. The display position and sizeinformation generated in information processing device 93 are noticed toinformation communication unit 927 by way of information communicationwire 94. In this manner, the image combining the pictures of the pictureinformation supplied from information processing device 93 is displayedon the display screen of information display unit 925. That is, in theconventional TV information display system, information processingdevice 93 generates the picture information of the contents on the basisof the user's operation of the remote controller and the internalsetting information of TV receiver 92, and this picture information isdisplayed as sub-screen in part of the display screen of TV receiver 92.Thus, according to the conventional TV information system, the image ofTV broadcast and the personally required picture can be displayedsimultaneously without any extra effort in operation.

In the case of the conventional TV information system as disclosed inUnexamined Japanese Patent Application No. 2006-333101, however, thecontent of the sub-screen displaying the picture information is thecontent based on the TV operation information or internal settinginformation. But the information relating to the position, shape or sizefor displaying the sub-screen is instructed to TV receiver 92 side onthe basis of the own information collected by information processingdevice 93. Accordingly, in TV receiver 92, when changed over from theoriginal Picture-In-Picture function under the control of TV receiver 92to the picture information display function, for example, the positionand size of the sub-screen by the original Picture-In-Picture functionare changed to the position and size controlled from informationprocessing device 93. In a more specific example, when changed from thestate of display of different channel images in the main screen andsub-screen by the own function of TV receiver 92, to the display of thepicture information in the sub-screen by information processing device93, the position and size of the sub-screen are also changed. Suchchange in the position and size of sub-screen may feel strange for theuser or may urge the user to change the position and size to theoriginal image, and the user's labor may be increased.

In particular, when attempted to build up an audio-visual system foron-screen display of menu screen used in the user interface in the TVreceiver, if composed on the basis of the technique in UnexaminedJapanese Patent Application No. 2006-333101, when the TV receiver andthe external device are changed over, the menu screen by the TV receiverand the menu screen by the external device may displayed in differentposition, shape or size at high possibility. That is, the TV receiverand the external device set the position, shape or size of menu screenindependently. As a result, the menu screen corresponding to the TVreceiver and the menu screen corresponding to the external device may bedisplayed differently. Such mutually different menu screens may feelstrange for the user. For example, if the user sets to increase thedisplay of the menu screen of the TV receiver, a small size may bedisplayed when the menu screen of the external device is called, and theconvenience of manipulation for the user is lowered.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention is devised to solve these problems, and it ishence an object thereof to present an audio-visual system, a reproducingapparatus, and a display device enhanced in the convenience ofmanipulation for the user, in an audio-visual system connecting databetween a display device and a reproducing apparatus.

The audio-visual system is an audio-visual system includes a displaydevice for on-screen display of drawn picture in a specified displayformat, a reproducing apparatus for supplying data including thecontents data to be reproduced to the display device, being connected byway of communication means, in which the display device has a displayside drawing generation unit for generating display side drawing data ofdrawn picture according to the display format of on-screen display, thereproducing apparatus has a reproduction side drawing generation unitfor generating reproduction side drawing data of drawn picture accordingto the display format for displaying on the display device, thereproduction side drawing generation unit receives the display sidedisplay format information as the information of the display format ofthe display side drawing generation unit by way of communication means,and generates the reproduction side drawing data based on the receiveddisplay format information of the display side, the reproducingapparatus supplies the contents data including the generatedreproduction side drawing data to the display device by way ofcommunication means, and the display device presents the drawn picturebased on the supplied reproduction side drawing data.

The reproducing apparatus is a reproducing apparatus connected to thedisplay device for on-screen display of drawn picture in specifieddisplay format, for supplying data including contents data to bereproduced to the display device, and includes a reproduction sidedrawing generation unit for receiving display side display formatinformation as information of the display format of the display device,and generating reproduction side drawing data of the display format onthe basis of the received display side display format information, and adata supply unit for supplying the reproduction side drawing data to thedisplay device together with contents data.

The display device is a display device connected to the reproducingapparatus for supplying the data including contents data to bereproduced, for on-screen display of drawn picture in specified displayformat, and includes a display side drawing generation unit forreceiving reproduction side display format information as theinformation of the display format of drawn picture of the reproducingapparatus, and generating display side drawing data of the displayformat on the basis of the received reproduction side display formatinformation.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of configuration of audio-visual system,reproducing apparatus and display device in a preferred embodiment ofthe present invention.

FIG. 2A is a diagram showing an example of menu screen of audio-visualsystem, reproducing apparatus and display device in a preferredembodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2B is a diagram showing an example of menu screen of audio-visualsystem, reproducing apparatus and display device in a preferredembodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing a processing procedure of remote-controlprocess to be executed by a control unit of a TV receiver inaudio-visual system, reproducing apparatus and display device in apreferred embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing a processing procedure of menu process tobe executed by a control unit of a reproducing apparatus in audio-visualsystem, reproducing apparatus and display device in a preferredembodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a diagram showing an example of display according to a displayformat relating to a position of menu screen.

FIG. 6 is a diagram showing an example of display according to a displayformat relating to a size of menu screen.

FIG. 7 is a diagram showing an example of display according to a displayformat relating to a character size of menu screen.

FIG. 8 is a diagram showing an example of display according to a displayformat relating to display content of menu screen.

FIG. 9 is a block diagram of a conventional TV information displaysystem.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

Preferred embodiments of the present invention are describedspecifically below while referring to the accompanying drawings.

Preferred Embodiments

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of configuration of audio-visual system,reproducing apparatus and display device in a preferred embodiment ofthe present invention.

As shown in FIG. 1, the audio-visual system of the preferred embodimentincludes TV receiver 30, reproducing apparatus 10, and connection cable50. TV receiver 30 presents the received TV broadcast video and audio tothe user. Reproducing apparatus 10 reproduces recording medium 20 suchas DVD and memory card, and issues as video signal or audio signal.Connection cable 50 connects between TV receiver 30 and reproducingapparatus 10. In the preferred embodiment, a display device foron-screen display of drawn picture for user interface or the like in aspecified display format is designated as TV receiver 30, a reproducingapparatus for supplying the data containing the contents data to bereproduced to TV receiver 30 is designated as reproducing apparatus 10,and communication means is designated as connection cable 50.

In the preferred embodiment, TV receiver 30 has a digital external inputterminal, and the video signal and audio signal reproduced byreproducing apparatus 10 are supplied into the digital external inputterminal by way of AV cable 57 included in connection cable 50 ascontents data of digital signal. The digital interface for digitalconnection between AV appliances includes HDMI (high definitionmultimedia interface) standard. In the preferred embodiment, TV receiver30 has a digital external input terminal, but it may also have an analogexternal input terminal.

Reproducing apparatus 10 shown in FIG. 1 includes user operation unit191, control unit 19, reproduction unit 11, drawing generation unit 16,synthesis unit 15, AV data interface unit (AV data I/F unit) 17, andcontrol data interface unit (control data I/F unit) 18. Synthesis unit15 and AV data I/F unit 17 are collectively called a data supply unit.As the detail is described below, the data supply unit consisting ofsynthesis unit 15 and AV data I/F unit 17 functions to supply thereproduction side drawing data to the display device together withcontents data. User operation unit 191 receives user's operations.Control unit 19 controls the entire apparatus, and holds various piecesof information. Reproduction unit 11 reproduces recording medium 20, andissues video data and audio data. Drawing generation unit 16 is anexample of configuration of reproduction side drawing generation unitfor generating reproduction side drawing data. Synthesis unit 15synthesizes the video data and drawing data, and issues synthesizedvideo data. AV data I/F unit 17 issues the synthesized video data oraudio data externally as contents data. Control data I/F unit 18communicates with a partner side appliance by means of command or othercontrol data.

In FIG. 1, user operation unit 191 is an operation unit installed in theapparatus, and receives instructions about operation of reproducingapparatus 10 by user's operations. User operation unit 191 notices theinstruction information corresponding to the received instructions tocontrol unit 19. Control unit 19 receives the instruction informationfrom user operation unit 191, and analyzes the instruction information,and controls the corresponding parts in the apparatus according to theinstruction information.

Control unit 19 receives control data including commands and others fromcontrol data I/F unit 18, and control unit 19 also sends control dataincluding commands and others to control data I/F unit 18. That is, asshown in FIG. 1, control data I/F unit 18 is connected to TV receiver 30by way of control cable 58 included in connection cable 50. As a result,from TV receiver 30 to control data I/F unit 18, various commands andinformation are noticed for the purpose of controlling reproducingapparatus 10. Control data I/F unit 18 notices the received control datato control unit 19, and control unit 19 executes the process accordingto the command contained in the received control data. To the contrary,the control data on TV receiver 30 generated by control unit 19 is sentout from control unit 19 to TV receiver 30 in a specified format by wayof control data I/F unit 18 and control cable 58. In this audio-visualsystem, in particular, a specified remote-control code from remotecontroller 40 received in TV receiver 30 is also noticed to control unit19 by way of control cable 58 and control data I/F unit 18. In thisaudio-visual system, such specified remote-control code is noticed fromTV receiver 30 to reproducing apparatus 10 in specified format.

Reproduction unit 11 reproduces recording medium 20 loaded inreproducing apparatus 10 according to the instruction from control unit19. The audio data reproduced in reproduction unit 11 is supplied to AVdata I/F unit 17, and the video data is supplied to synthesis unit 15.In the preferred embodiment, an example of reproducing apparatus 10having only a function of reproduction of recording medium 20 is shown.Of course, reproducing apparatus 10 may also have a function ofrecording contents data in recording medium 20. It may be also realizedby a video camera device or digital camera device having an imagingfunction. The apparatus may be also a personal computer or TV gamedevice for generating contents data. It may be also a tuner device or aset-top box device having only TV broadcast receiving function. Further,it may be an audio appliance for reproducing or generating audio dataonly.

Drawing generation unit 16 generates reproduction side drawing data (ormerely drawing data) corresponding to the drawn picture for on-screendisplay on the image reproduced by reproduction unit 11. Such drawnpicture includes, for example, a menu screen for user interface, anelectronic program guide (EPG) screen for presenting a list of programs,and an operation guide screen for presenting a list of operations.Drawing generation unit 16 generates drawing data according to theinstruction from control unit 19. Drawing generation unit 16 alsoreceives reproduction side display format information from control unit19, and displays the drawn picture on screen in the display formatconforming to the display format information. Such display formatinformation is information about display format of on-screen display ofdrawn picture, and is information including display position of drawnpicture, size and shape of drawn picture, character size in drawnpicture, and display contents type in drawn picture. Thus, drawinggeneration unit 16 is a reproduction side drawing generation unit, andgenerates the drawing data of drawn picture according to the displayformat of on-screen display.

Synthesis unit 15 receives a synthesis instruction from control unit 19,and synthesizes the video data from reproduction unit 11 and the drawingdata from drawing generation unit 16 according to display formatinformation, and issues synthesized video data for on-screen display ofdrawn picture on the video. Synthesis unit 15, if instruction ofsynthesis from control unit 19 is not noticed, issues the video datafrom reproduction unit 11 as synthesized video data. When reproducingapparatus 10 reproduces only the audio data, when instruction ofsynthesis is noticed from control unit 19, the synthesized video data ofdrawing data only not containing video data is issued.

AV data I/F unit 17 externally issues the synthesized video data fromsynthesis unit 15 and the audio data from reproduction unit 11 ascontents data. As shown in FIG. 1, AV data I/F unit 17 is connected toTV receiver 30 by way of AV cable 57 included in connection cable 50. Asa result, the contents data is sent out from the AV data I/F unit 17 toTV receiver 30.

TV receiver 30 shown in FIG. 1 includes user operation unit 391,remote-control receiver 34, control unit 39, control data I/F unit 38,AV data I/F unit 37, tuner unit 31, changeover unit 32, drawinggeneration unit 36, synthesis unit 35, presentation processing unit 33,speaker 41, and display 42. User operation unit 391 receives user'soperations. Remote-control receiver 34 receives user's operations fromremote controller 40. Control unit 39 controls the entire receiver, andholds various pieces of information. Control data I/F unit 38communicates with a partner side appliance by way of command and othercontrol data. AV data I/F unit 37 receives and takes in the contentsdata supplied from outside. Tuner unit 31 receives TV broadcast, andrestores the contents data of TV broadcast. Changeover unit 32 changesover the contents data of tuner unit 31 and AV data I/F unit 37according to an instruction from control unit 39, and issues as videodata and audio data. Drawing generation unit 36 is an example of displayside drawing generation unit for generating display side drawing data.Synthesis unit 35 synthesizes the video data and drawing data, andissues synthesized video data. Presentation processing unit 33 convertsthe audio data and synthesized video data into audible and visiblesignals. Speaker 41 produces sound, and display 42 display video. In thepreferred embodiment, an example of TV receiver 30 having tuner unit 31is shown, but it may be also realized by a display device having atleast a video presentation function, not having broadcast receivingfunction such as tuner unit 31.

In FIG. 1, user operation unit 391 is an operation unit installed in themain body of TV receiver 30, and receives an instruction about operationof TV receiver 30 by user's operations. User operation unit 391 noticesthe instruction information corresponding to the received instruction tocontrol unit 39. Remote-control receiver 34 receives an instructionabout operation of TV receiver 30 according to the user's manipulationof remote controller 40. That is, when the user manipulates remotecontroller 40, remote controller 40 sends out a remote-control signalshowing a remote-control code corresponding to the manipulation.Remote-control receiver 34 receives such remote-control signal, andnotices the remote-control code indicated by the remote-control signalto control unit 39 as instruction information.

Remote controller 40 has mode keys such as “Select channel”, “Changeinput”, “Show menu”, and “Close menu”, and menu screen manipulation keyssuch as “Up”, “Down”, “Right”, “Left”, “Fix”, and “Return”. The userpresses these keys, and remote-control codes corresponding to the keysare noticed to control unit 39.

Control unit 39 receives instruction information from user operationunit 391, and remote-control code as instruction information fromremote-control receiver 34, and analyzes the instruction information,and controls the parts of the receiver according to the instructioninformation.

Control unit 39 also receives control data including commands fromcontrol data I/F unit 38 in specified format, and control unit 39notices the control data including commands to control data I/F unit 38.That is, as shown in FIG. 1, control data I/F unit 38 is connected toreproducing apparatus 10 by way of control cable 58 included inconnection cable 50. As a result, from control data I/F unit 38 toreproducing apparatus 10, various commands and information are noticedfor controlling reproducing apparatus 10. Thus, control unit 39 controlsthe parts in the receiver, and when judging it necessary to control atreproducing apparatus 10 side as a result of analysis of instructioninformation such as remote-control code, it sends out the control datato reproducing apparatus 10 by way of control data I/F unit 38 andcontrol cable 58. To the contrary, control data I/F unit 38 receivescontrol data from reproducing apparatus 10, and notices to control unit39.

In particular, in this audio-visual system, a specified remote-controlcode received from remote controller 40 is also noticed to reproducingapparatus 10 in specified format by way of control data I/F unit 38 andcontrol cable 58. That is, control unit 39 analyzes the remote-controlcode noticed from remote-control receiver 34, and when thisremote-control code is specified to be a remote-control code toreproducing apparatus 10, this remote-control code is sent out toreproducing apparatus 10 by way of control data I/F unit 38 controlcable 58. In reproducing apparatus 10, when control unit 19 receivessuch remote-control code from control unit 39, processing or controlcorresponding to such remote-control code is executed.

In this manner, in the audio-visual system, TV receiver 30 has afunction of judging whether the received remote-control signal is aremote-control signal corresponding to operation of TV receiver 30 orreproducing apparatus 10. When TV receiver 30 judges that theremote-control signal is for reproducing apparatus 10, it notices theinstruction information of the received remote-control signal,including, for example, the instruction information as generationinstruction of drawing data to drawing generation unit 16 to reproducingapparatus 10 by way of connection cable 50. Reproducing apparatus 10executes the process according to the instruction information noticedthrough connection cable 50. The audio-visual system has suchconfiguration, by manipulation of only one remote controller 40 towardTV receiver 30, setting of operation and data on TV receiver 30 andreproducing apparatus 10 can be easily realized.

Changeover unit 32 changes over the contents data of the tuner unit 31and AV data I/F unit 37 depending on the instruction from control unit39. Further, changeover unit 32 issues the changed and selected contentsdata as video data and audio data. That is, when the user presses the“Change input” key on remote controller 40, remote controller 40 sendsout a remote-control signal of the remote-control coded corresponding tothe manipulation of input changeover. This remote-control code isnoticed to control unit 39 by way of remote-control receiver 34. Controlunit 39 judges that the noticed remote-control code is an instructionfor input changeover, and controls to change over the selection ofcontents data by changeover unit 32.

Drawing generation unit 36 generates display side drawing data (ormerely drawing data) corresponding to drawn picture for on-screendisplay on the image displayed in display 42. Such drawn pictureincludes, for example, a menu screen for user interface, an electronicprogram guide (EPG) screen for presenting a list of programs, a contendsguide screen, and an operation guide screen for presenting a list ofoperations. Drawing generation unit 36 generates drawing data accordingto the instruction from control unit 39. Drawing generation unit 36 alsoreceives display side display format information from control unit 39,and displays the drawn picture on screen in the display format accordingto the display format information. Such display format information isinformation about display format of on-screen display of drawn picture,and is information including display position of drawn picture, size andshape of drawn picture, character size in drawn picture, and displaycontents type in drawn picture. Thus, drawing generation unit 36 is adisplay side drawing generation unit, and generates the drawing data ofdrawn picture according to the display format of on-screen display.

Synthesis unit 35 receives a synthesis instruction from the control unit39, and synthesizes the video data from changeover unit 32 and thedrawing data from drawing generation unit 36 according to display formatinformation, and issues synthesized video data so that the drawn picturemay be displayed on screen on the image. When synthesis instruction isnot noticed from control unit 39, synthesis unit 35 issues the videodata from changeover unit 32 as synthesized video data.

Presentation processing unit 33 converts the audio data from changeoverunit 32 and the synthesized video data from synthesis unit 35 intoaudible and visible signals, and supplies to speaker 41 and display 42.Speaker 41 produces the sound corresponding to the audio data, anddisplay 42 shows the video corresponding to the synthesized video data.

Further, in the audio-visual system, for example, when changeover unit32 changes over the selection of contents data by instruction fromcontrol unit 39, and control unit 39 executes processing of transmissionand reception of display format information depending on the changeoverdirection. That is, when control unit 39 instructs selection of contentsdata of tuner unit 31 side to changeover unit 32, control unit 39executes data communication with control unit 19 by way of control cable58 as follows. First, control unit 39 instructs control unit 19 to sendout display format information of reproducing apparatus 10 side. Inresponse, control unit 19 sends out the display format information ofreproducing apparatus 10 side to control unit 39. Control unit 39receives the display format information from control unit 19, and savesthe received display format information as a new display formatinformation to drawing generation unit 36. To the contrary, when controlunit 39 instructs changeover unit 32 to select the contents data of AVdata I/F unit 37 side, control unit 39 executes data communication withcontrol unit 19 by way of control cable 58 as follows. First, controlunit 39 instructs control unit 19 to send out display format informationof TV receiver 30 side. In response, control unit 19 receives the sentdisplay format information, and saves the received display formatinformation as a new display format information to drawing generationunit 16.

Thus, in this audio-visual system, for example, depending on changeoverof changeover unit 32, exchange of final display format information isexecuted between TV receiver 30 and reproducing apparatus 10. That is,reproduction side drawing generation unit 16 receives the display formatinformation of display side drawing generation unit 36 throughconnection cable 50, and generates the reproduction side drawing data indisplay format conforming to the received display side display formatinformation. Thus, reproducing apparatus 10 supplies the contents dataincluding the generated reproduction side drawing data to TV receiver 30through connection cable 50, and TV receiver 30 presents the drawnpicture based on the supplied reproduction side drawing data. To thecontrary, display side drawing generation unit 36 receives the displayformat information of reproduction side drawing generation unit 16through connection cable 50, and generates the display side drawing datain display format conforming to the received reproduction side displayformat information. Thus, TV receiver 30 presents the drawn picturebased on the generated display side drawing data.

This is the explanation about exchange of display format informationwhen changing over by selection of changeover unit 32. But not limitedto such time of changing over, for example, the operation may alsoinclude processing means for exchanging display format information onthe following timing. That is, in other process, when started by turningon the power source of reproducing apparatus 10 side, control unit 39 ofTV receiver 30 takes in the display format information held in controlunit 39 of TV receiver 39 side. In other process, when control unit 39of TV receiver 30 side detects reproducing apparatus 10 connected to thedigital external input terminal, control unit 39 sends out displayformat information to control unit 19 at reproducing apparatus 10 side.In another process, a specific period is provided, and in every specificperiod regularly, control unit 19 of reproducing apparatus 10 sidereceives the display format information held in control unit 39 of TVreceiver 30 side. Alternatively, in every specific period, control unit39 of TV receiver 30 side sends out the display format information tocontrol unit 19 of reproducing apparatus 10 side. Or, control unit 39 ofTV receiver 30 side detects the change in contents, receiving channel oruser setting on menu screen, and at the detected timing, control unit 39sends out display format information to control unit 19 of reproducingapparatus 10 side. The audio-visual system may include part or all ofsuch processing means.

As the detail is described specifically below, the audio-visual systemincludes, in addition to such function of executing exchange of displayformat information, a function of setting such display formatinformation by making use of remote controller 40 and the menu screen asone of drawn pictures. Hence, the display format of drawn pictures maynot be set in each device, but the drawn picture of each device may bedisplayed while maintaining the desired display format for the user.

As one of the drawn pictures, the menu screen is described below. FIG.2A and FIG. 2B are diagrams showing examples of menu screens ofaudio-visual system, reproducing apparatus, and display device in thepreferred embodiment. FIG. 2A shows an example of menu screen generatedin drawing generation unit 36 of TV receiver 30. FIG. 2B shows anexample of menu screen generated in drawing generation unit 16 ofreproducing apparatus 10. In FIG. 2A and FIG. 2B, the menu screenconsists of a main menu screen called from remote controller 40, and asub menu screen displayed depending on the selection operation of themain menu screen. The main menu screen includes a plurality of selectionbuttons for selecting principal functions of the corresponding devices.When the user selects a desired function from the plural selectionbuttons, a sub menu screen corresponding to the function is displayed.FIG. 2A shows main menu screen 360 and sub menu screen 361 correspondingto TV receiver 30, and FIG. 2B shows main menu screen 160 and sub menuscreen 161 corresponding to reproducing apparatus 10.

In the audio-visual system, for example, a “Show TV menu” key on remotecontroller 40 is pressed or other instruction for displaying the menuscreen is operated, first, as shown in FIG. 2A, main menu screen 360relating to operation of TV receiver 30 is displayed on screen. In thisexample, main menu screen 360 displays operation buttons for “Setvideo”, “Set audio”, “Initialize”, and “Set menu” as operationcorresponding to TV receiver 30. Further in FIG. 2A, the display alsoincludes a selection button for “Operate reproducing apparatus” forcalling and displaying main menu screen 160 corresponding to reproducingapparatus 10 shown in FIG. 2B. The user pushes the “Up” or “Down” keyfor instructing up or down move of remote controller 40, and selects theselection button of desired function. In FIG. 2A, by such operation, theselection button of “Set menu” is selected. When the user presses “Fix”key for making decision in remote controller 40, sub menu screen 361 formenu setting is displayed. In FIG. 2A, as sub menu screen 361 for setmenu, an example of screen for presenting function of changing thedisplay format of menu screen according to the preference of the user isshown. The user further manipulates the move key or the like of remotecontroller 40, and selects a button on sub menu screen 361, and sets adesired function. For example, when the user manipulates to selectPosition and Left on sub menu screen 361, and presses “Fix” key onremote controller 40, control unit 39 judges that on-screen display ofmenu screen at the left side of the display screen has been instructed.Further, control unit 39 saves the information saying “Show to theleft”, as the display position information included in the displayformat information, and notices to drawing generation unit 16. Suchprocess is executed, and thereafter main menu screen 360 sub menu screen361 shown in FIG. 2A are displayed at the left side of the displayscreen of display 42. As explained about exchange of display formatinformation between reproducing apparatus 10 and TV receiver 30, it maybe configured to notice the display format information by making use ofthe timing of changing the user setting on the menu screen as explainedherein. That is, control unit 39 of TV receiver 30 side first detectsthat the user setting is changed on the menu screen. On the basis ofthis detection, control unit 39 sends out the display format informationheld in control unit 39, or the changed display format information, ifthe display format information itself has been changed as shown in FIG.2A, to control unit 19 of reproducing apparatus 10. Thus, the displayformat information may be noticed to reproducing apparatus 10 side. Or,at the changing timing of the user setting, control unit 39 may noticethe change of user setting or display format information to control unit19 of reproducing apparatus 10 side, and in response control unit 19 mayreceive and take in the display format information.

Moreover, in the audio-visual system, when the user selects the “Playreproducing apparatus” button shown in FIG. 2A, the screen is changed tothe video from reproducing apparatus 10, and main menu screen 160 shownin FIG. 2B is displayed on screen. That is, by selection of the Playreproducing apparatus, from control unit 39 of TV receiver 30 side tocontrol unit 19 of reproducing apparatus 10 side, a command forrequesting on-screen display of the menu screen generated by drawinggeneration unit 16, that is, main menu screen 160 is sent out. Inresponse, control unit 19 controls so that synthesis unit 15 may issuesynthesized video data of on-screen display of main menu screen 160. Thecontents data including the synthesized video data is supplied to TVreceiver 30 through AV cable 57, and the video including main menuscreen 160 corresponding to such synthesized video data is shown indisplay 42. Thereafter, by the same operation as in the operation of TVreceiver 30, setting on reproducing apparatus 10 is determined. Same aswhen the user setting is changed by the menu screen at TV receiver 30side as shown in FIG. 2A, when the user setting is changed on the menuscreen at reproducing apparatus 10 side as shown in FIG. 2B, the displayformat information may be noticed by using this changed timing. That is,control unit 19 of reproducing apparatus 10 side first detects change ofuser setting on the menu screen. On the basis of this change, controlunit 19 sends out the display format information held in control unit19, or the changed display format information if the display formatinformation has been changed as shown in FIG. 2B, to control unit 39 ofTV receiver 30 side. Alternatively, control unit 19 may notice thechange of user setting or display format information to control unit 39at TV receiver 30 side at the change timing of user setting, and inresponse, control unit 39 may receive and take in the display formatinformation.

Herein, for menu setting, the sub menu screen is used, and the displayformat of the menu screen is set, but the format may be set by includingthe EPG screen, operation guide screen, or drawn picture display format.Or the sub menu screen may be displayed for setting the display formatdepending on the type of the drawn picture.

The audio-visual system, the reproducing apparatus, and the displaydevice of the preferred embodiment may be freely set in the displayformat of menu screen or drawn picture by using remote controller 40 andthe menu screen shown in FIG. 2A and FIG. 2B. Accordingly, the drawnpicture according to the preference of the user can be displayed on theimage. For example, if the user feels that the character size of menuscreen is too small, the character size may be increased, or if the userpreferred a detailed display, the character size may be reduced and thedetail may be displayed. In this way, the audio-visual system of thepreferred embodiment can set the menu screen freely depending on thevisual recognition of the user.

In this audio-visual system, for example, when changing over the input,that is, when changing over between the contents data from tuner unit 31included in TV receiver 30 and the contents data externally entered fromreproducing apparatus 10, or when the user setting is changed on themenu screen, the final display format information is noticed and savedbetween the two control units. Accordingly, the drawn picture of eachdevice can be displayed while maintaining the display format preferredby the user. That is, for example, when the position of the menu screenof TV receiver 30 side is set to the left on sub menu screen 361 shownin FIG. 2A, if the menu screen of reproducing apparatus 10 side shown inFIG. 2B is called, it is displayed at the left side on the displayscreen. It is hence not necessary to set the display format newly ineach device, and the user's labor can be saved.

The audio-visual system, the reproducing apparatus, and the displaydevice of the preferred embodiment have such configuration, and by usingonly remote controller 40 attached to TV receiver 30, the menu screen ofreproducing apparatus 10 can be controlled. Hence the user, withouthaving consciousness of operation of TV receiver 30 or operation ofreproducing apparatus 10, can handle only the same remote controllerwithout knowing the external device, and can control reproducingapparatus 10 and other external devices in the same manner. Also in theaudio-visual system, the reproducing apparatus, and the display device,the user is allowed to set the menu screen and other display formatsfreely as desired. Further, in the audio-visual system, the reproducingapparatus, and the display device, the user does not have to set suchdisplay format individually in reproducing apparatus 10 and otherexternal devices, and the display format once determined is commonlyreflected in TV receiver 30 and external devices. Without requiringcomplicated operation, the menu screen preferred by the user can bedisplayed.

In the audio-visual system, the reproducing apparatus, and the displaydevice having such configuration, the operation is specificallydescribed below.

FIG. 3 is a flowchart of processing procedure of remote-control processto be executed by control unit 39 of TV receiver 30 in the audio-visualsystem, the reproducing apparatus, and the display device of thepreferred embodiment. FIG. 4 is a flowchart of processing procedure ofmenu process to be executed by control unit 19 of reproducing apparatus10 in the audio-visual system, the reproducing apparatus, and thedisplay device of the preferred embodiment.

Referring now to FIG. 3 and FIG. 4, the remote-control process and menuprocess of the audio-visual system, the reproducing apparatus, and thedisplay device are explained, mainly about operation of the audio-visualsystem, the reproducing apparatus, and the display device relating tothe display format information as the main feature of the invention. InFIG. 3 and FIG. 4, when changing over the input, an example of notice ofdisplay format information of menu screen between reproducing apparatus10 and TV receiver 30 is explained. For the ease of understanding of thefeature of the audio-visual system, the reproducing apparatus, and thedisplay device, in FIG. 3 and FIG. 4, first the remote-control code isjudged to be input changeover code or not, and in the case of inputchangeover code, the display format information is noticed. However, thedisplay format information may be noticed when the user setting ischanged, or the procedure may be varied depending on the notice timingof display format information.

In this audio-visual system, when the user manipulates remote controller40, remote controller 40 sends out a remote-control signal showing theremote-control code depending on the operation to TV receiver 30. Theremote-control signal is received in remote-control receiver 34, and theremote-control code of the remote-control signal is noticed to controlunit 39. Control unit 39 receives the remote-control code, and startsthe process as shown in FIG. 3.

Control unit 39 of TV receiver 30 first judges the enteredremote-control code. That is, control unit 39 judges whether theremote-control code is an input changeover code or not, and in the caseof an input changeover code, it executes the process including theprocess of notice of display format information as mentioned above. Asshown in FIG. 3, control unit 39 judges the remote-control code, and ifjudging No (not input changeover code), it advances to process of stepS340, and if judging Yes (input changeover code), it advances to processof step 320 (step S300). At step S340, control unit 39 judges whetherthe remote-control code is a code to TV receiver 30 or a code toreproducing apparatus 10. When control unit 39 judges the code is to TVreceiver 30 (TV side), it advances to process of step S342, and ifjudging to be the code to reproducing apparatus 10 (reproduction side),it advances to process of step S360 (step S340).

At step S360, control unit 39 sends out the entered remote-control codeto reproducing apparatus 10 side, and terminates the remote-controlprocess (S360). That is, control unit 39, at step S300 and step S340,analyzes the remote-control code noticed from remote-control receiver34. When the remote-control code is specified to be a remote-controlcode to reproducing apparatus 10 (reproduction side), control unit 39sends out this remote-control code to reproducing apparatus 10 by way ofthe control data I/F unit 38 and control cable 58 at step S360. Controlunit 19 of reproducing apparatus 10 receives the remote-control code,and executes process or control corresponding to the remote-controlcode. Thus, by manipulating only remote controller 40 for TV receiver30, operation and setting on reproducing apparatus 10 can be alsoexecuted.

At step S342, control unit 39 judges if the entered remote-control codeis a code for instructing menu screen display of TV receiver 30 side asshown in FIG. 2A or not. In the case of the code instructing menu screendisplay (Yes), it advances to process of step S344, or in the case ofthe code not instructing menu screen display (No), it advances toprocess of step S350 (step S342). At step S344, control unit 39instructs drawing generation unit 36 to generate drawing data of menuscreen, and instructs synthesis unit 35 to synthesize the drawing datagenerated by drawing generation unit 36, and thereby terminates theremote-control process (S344). Thus, the synthesized image of on-screendisplay of menu screen at TV receiver 30 side on the image by tuner unit31 is shown on display 42.

At step S350, control unit 39 judges whether the menu screen of TVreceiver side 30 side is being displayed or not. If being displayed(Yes), it advances to step S352, or if not being displayed (No), itadvances to step S358 (step S350). At step S358, control unit 39controls the operation of TV receiver 30 side corresponding to theentered remote-control code, such as selection of channel or change ofsound volume, and thereby terminates the remote-control process (stepS358).

At step S352, in this case, the menu screen at TV receiver 30 side isbeing displayed, and control unit 39 controls operation of the menuscreen of TV receiver 30 side (step S352). That is, control unit 39controls to execute the operation determined by correspondence of theentered remote-control code and its menu screen. For example, as shownin FIG. 2A, when the “Set menu” button is selected and then theremote-control code showing “Fix” is fixed, control unit 39 judges thatthe display of sub menu screen for setting the display format of menuscreen has been instructed, and controls to display sub menu screen 361as shown in FIG. 2A.

At step S354, control unit 39 judges whether the entered remote-controlcode is a code corresponding to the operation for setting the displayformat as shown in FIG. 2A to the menu screen at TV receiver 30 side ornot. If judged to be the code corresponding to the operation for settingthe display format (Yes), it advances to process of step S356, and ifjudged not to be the code corresponding to the operation for setting thedisplay format (No), it terminates the remote-control process (stepS354). At step S356, control unit 39 saves the display formatinformation changed by operation for setting the display format, in thememory, as new display format information at TV receiver 30 side, thatis, at the display side, and terminates the remote-control process (stepS356).

In this explanation, at step S342, control unit 39 judges only whetheror not the remote-control code instructing menu screen display at TVreceiver 30 side, and depending on the judging result, the process at TVreceiver 30 side is executed. However, for example, the followingjudging step may be included in the procedure. That is, together withthe judging process at step S342, it is judged whether the contents dataof TV receiver 30 side or reproducing apparatus 10 side has been chosenat changeover unit 32. When TV receiver 30 side is selected, theremote-control code corresponding to the menu screen of TV receiver 30side is operated, and when reproducing apparatus 10 side is selected,this remote-control code is sent out to reproducing apparatus 10 by wayof control cable 58 or the like. Thus, the process for controlling bycontrol unit 39 may be included. Further, even when the contents data ofreproducing apparatus 10 side is selected in changeover unit 32, and themenu screen of reproducing apparatus 10 side is being displayed, if itis focused to display the menu screen of TV receiver 30 side on the top,control unit 39 may contain a step of controlling to operate as theremote-control code corresponding to the menu screen of TV receiver 30side.

At step S300, if the entered remote-control code is judged to be aninput changeover code for instructing changeover between the contentsdata from tuner unit 31 and the contents data entered externally fromreproducing apparatus 10 (Yes), control unit 39 processes as follows.

First, control unit 39 judges the changeover direction of this inputchangeover, whether changeover from TV receiver 30 side to reproducingapparatus 10 side (TV to reproduction), or changeover from reproducingapparatus 10 side to TV receiver 30 side (reproduction to TV) (stepS320). When control unit 39 judges the input changeover is from TVreceiver 30 side to reproducing apparatus 10 side (TV to reproduction),it advances to process of step S322. If the input changeover is judgedto be from reproducing apparatus 10 side to TV receiver 30 side(reproduction to TV), it advances to process of step S332.

At step S322, control unit 39 changes over to the contents data suppliedfrom reproducing apparatus 10, and controls to instruct the video andaudio by the contents data (step S322). That is, control unit 39instructs changeover unit 32 to select the contents data supplied fromreproducing apparatus 10 to AV data I/F unit 37, and hence the contentsdata reproduced in reproducing apparatus 10 is presented from TVreceiver 30. Control unit 39 further advances to process of step S324,and sends out the display format information of TV receiver 30 side,that is, the menu screen of the display side held in control unit 39 tocontrol unit 19 of reproducing apparatus 10 side, and thereby terminatesthe remote-control process (step S324).

At step S332, control unit 39 changes over to the contents data suppliedfrom tuner unit 31, and controls to present video and audio by thecontents data (step S332). That is, control unit 39 instructs changeoverunit 32 to select the contents data from tuner unit 31, and hence thecontents received in tuner unit 31 are presented to TV receiver 30.Further, control unit 39 advances to process of step S334, and acquiresthe display format information at reproducing apparatus 10 side held incontrol unit 19 of reproducing apparatus 10, that is, the reproductionside menu screen, and terminates the remote-control process (step S334).

In reproducing apparatus 10, the menu process executed by control unit19 is explained while referring to FIG. 4.

First, as explained at step S360 in FIG. 3, when the remote-control coderelating to reproducing apparatus 10 side to TV receiver 30 is noticedto control unit 39, this remote-control code is sent out to control unit19 of reproducing apparatus 10 by way of control data I/F unit 38 andcontrol cable 58. In FIG. 4, as the remote-control code to be sent outto control unit 19, an example is shown to send out a remote-controlcode including the remote-control code of input changeover in TVreceiver 30.

As shown in FIG. 4, control unit 19 of reproducing apparatus 10 receivesa remote-control code from control unit 39 of TV receiver 30, and judgesthe received remote-control code. That is, control unit 19 judgeswhether the remote-control code is a code showing input changeover ornot, and in the case of input changeover code (Yes), the processincluding the process of noticing such display format information isexecuted. Control unit 19, if judging the remote-control code is notinput changeover code (No), advances to process of step S142. In thecase of input changeover code (Yes), it advances to process of step S120(step S100).

At step S142, the control unit 19 judges whether the enteredremote-control code is a code for instructing menu screen display ofreproducing apparatus 10 side as shown in FIG. 2B or not. In the case ofcode for instructing menu screen display (Yes), it advances to processof step S144, and in the case of code not for instructing menu screendisplay (No), it advances to process of step S150 (step S142). At stepS144, control unit 19 instructs drawing generation unit 16 to generatethe drawing data of menu screen, and instructs synthesis unit 15 tosynthesize the drawing data generated by drawing generation unit 16, andthereby terminates the remote-control process (step S144). Thus, thedrawing data of the menu screen of reproducing apparatus 10 side issynthesized to the video data reproduced in reproducing unit 11, and thesynthesized video data is generated.

At step S150, control unit 19 judges whether the menu screen ofreproducing apparatus 10 side is being displayed or not. If beingdisplayed (Yes), it advances to process of step S152. If not beingdisplayed (No), it advances to process of step S158 (step S150). At stepS158, control unit 19 controls to operate reproducing apparatus 10 sideaccording to the noticed remote-control code, and terminates theremote-control process (S158).

At step S152, in this case, since the menu screen of reproducingapparatus 10 side is being displayed on display 42 of TV receiver 30,control unit 19 controls to operate the menu screen of reproducingapparatus 10 side (step S152). That is, control unit 19 controls toexecute the operation related by the noticed remote-control code and themenu screen. For example, as shown in FIG. 2B, when the “Set menu”button is selected and then the “Fix” remote-control code is noticed,control unit 19 judges that the display of sub menu screen for settingthe display format has been instructed, ad controls to display sub menuscreen 161 as shown in FIG. 2B.

At step S154, control unit 19 judges whether the entered remote-controlcode is a code corresponding to the operation for setting the displayformat as shown in FIG. 2B to the menu screen of reproducing apparatus10 side or not. In the case of the code corresponding to operation forsetting the display format (Yes), it advances to step S156. In the caseof the code not corresponding to operation for setting the displayformat (No), it terminates the remote-control process (step S154). Atstep S156, control unit 19 saves the display format information changedby operation for setting the display format in the memory as new displayformat information at reproducing apparatus 10 side, that is, as newreproduction side menu screen, and terminates the remote-control process(step S156).

Next, at step S100, when the noticed remote-control code is judged to beinput changeover code (Yes), control unit 19 processes as follows.

First, control unit 19 judges the changeover direction of this inputchangeover, whether changeover from TV receiver 30 side to reproducingapparatus 10 side, or changeover from reproducing apparatus 10 side toTV receiver 30 side (step S120). When control unit 19 judges the inputchangeover is from TV receiver 30 side to reproducing apparatus 10 side(TV to reproduction), it advances to process of step S122. If the inputchangeover is judged to be from reproducing apparatus 10 side to TVreceiver 30 side (reproduction to TV), it advances to process of stepS132.

At step S122, control unit 19 controls to instruct reproduction unit 11to start reproduction, or to instruct drawing generation unit 16 togenerate drawing data to inform the use of completion of preparation forreproduction (step S122). Control unit 19 further advances to process ofstep S124, and acquires the display format information at TV receiver 30side held in control unit 39 of TV receiver 30, that is, the displayside menu screen, and thereby terminates the remote-control process(step S124).

At step S132, control unit 19 controls to instruct reproduction unit 11to stop reproduction (step S132). Control unit 19 advances to process ofstep S134, and sends out the display format information at reproducingapparatus 10 side held in control unit 19, that is, the reproductionside menu screen to control unit 39 of TV receiver side 30, andterminates the remote-control process (step S134).

The audio-visual system, the reproducing apparatus, and the displaydevice of the preferred embodiment execute as above in response to theuser's operation of remote-control operation or menu screen operation.In particular, the audio-visual system, the reproducing apparatus, andthe display device of the preferred embodiment exchange display formatinformation between TV receiver 30 and reproducing apparatus 10 as shownin FIG. 3 and FIG. 4, depending on the user's operation of inputchangeover by remote controller 40.

That is, when the input changeover is the changeover from TV receiver 30side to reproducing apparatus 10 side, control unit 39 of TV receiver 39sends out the display format information of TV receiver 30 side held incontrol unit 39 to control unit 19 of reproducing apparatus 10 side asshown at step S324 in FIG. 3. At the same time, as shown in step S124 inFIG. 4, control unit 19 of reproducing apparatus 10 side acquires thedisplay format information sent out from control unit 39. By executionof such process, the display format of the menu screen by TV receiver 30is reflected in the display format of the menu screen by reproducingapparatus 10.

To the contrary, when the input changeover is the changeover fromreproducing apparatus 10 side to TV receiver 30 side, control unit 19 ofreproducing apparatus 10 sends out the display format information ofreproducing apparatus 10 side held in control unit 19 to control unit 39of TV receiver 30 side as shown at step S134 in FIG. 4. At the sametime, as shown in step S334 in FIG. 3, control unit 39 of TV receiver 30side acquires the display format information sent out from control unit19. By execution of such process, the display format of the menu screenby reproducing apparatus 10 is reflected in the display format of themenu screen by TV receiver 30.

The menu screens specified by various display formats of theaudio-visual system, the reproducing apparatus, and the display deviceare explained below by showing specific examples.

FIG. 5 is a diagram showing an example of display according to a displayformat about the position of menu screen. In the sub menu screen 361shown in FIG. 5, it is supposed that the user selects the “Position”button for setting the display position of menu screen, further selectsany one of “Left”, “Right”, “Up” and “Down” buttons, and finally pressesthe “Fix” button of remote controller 40. After this setting, the menuscreen is shown at the specified position on display 42. In FIG. 5, the“Left” button is selected, and main menu screen 360 is shown at the leftside of display 42 as shown in FIG. 5. By setting the display positionof the menu screen in such a manner, the menu screen is shown at aposition easily visible for the user. For example, when displaying atright side or left side on display 42, the menu screen may be shownvertically long, or when displaying at upper side or lower side ondisplay 42, the menu screen may be shown horizontally long, and theconcealed portion of the image on display may be minimized.

FIG. 6 is a diagram showing an example of display according to a displayformat about the size of menu screen. In sub menu screen 361 shown inFIG. 6, it is supposed that the user selects the “Size” button forsetting the size of menu screen, further selects any one of “Large”,“Medium” and “Small” buttons, and finally presses the “Fix” button ofremote controller 40. After this setting, the menu screen is shown inthe specified size on display 42. In FIG. 6, the “Large” button isselected, and main menu screen 360 is shown in a large size as shown inFIG. 6. By setting the size of the menu screen in such a manner, themenu screen is shown in a size easily visible for the user.

FIG. 7 is a diagram showing an example of display according to a displayformat about the character size of menu screen. In sub menu screen 361shown in FIG. 7, it is supposed that the user selects the “Charactersize” button for setting the character size of menu screen, furtherselects any one of “Large”, “Medium” and “Small” buttons, and finallypresses the “Fix” button of remote controller 40. After this setting,the menu screen is shown in the specified character size on display 42.In FIG. 7, the “Small” button is selected, and main menu screen 360 isshown in a small character size as shown in FIG. 7. By setting thecharacter size of the menu screen in a small size, a brief explanationis added in a vacant space. Thus, by setting the character size of menuscreen as desired for the user, the menu screen is shown in a propercharacter size for the user. If the user prefers a detailed contentdisplay, more information can be shown in a small character size, andthe explanatory comment may be added or omitted depending on thecharacter size.

FIG. 8 is a diagram showing an example of display according to a displayformat about the display content of menu screen. In sub menu screen 361shown in FIG. 8, it is supposed that the user selects the “Displaycontent” button for setting the detail of display content of menuscreen, further selects either one of “Detail” and “Brief” buttons, andfinally presses the “Fix” button of remote controller 40. After thissetting, the menu screen is shown in the specified detailing of displaycontent on display 42. In FIG. 8, the “Detail” button is selected, andmain menu screen 360 is shown in a specified detail as shown in FIG. 8.By setting the detail of the display content, the menu screen can bedisplayed according to the knowledge of the user.

In FIG. 5 to FIG. 8, setting of main menu screen 360 is explained, butsub menu screen 361 may be set similarly. Also in FIG. 5 to FIG. 8,examples of the menu screen generated in drawing generation unit 36 ofTV receiver 30 are shown, but the menu screen of drawing generation unit16 of reproducing apparatus 10 may be similarly generated as desired.

As shown in FIG. 5 to FIG. 8, the audio-visual system, the reproducingapparatus, and the display device are designed to be vary the displayformat of the menu screen as desired, and the menu screen suited to thepreference of the user may be presented. In particular, in addition tothe display position and size of the menu screen, the character size anddetail of display content can be also varied, and the menu screenfurther suited to the preference of the user may be realized. Asmentioned above, moreover, in the audio-visual system, the reproducingapparatus, and the display device, the display format information forsetting the display format of the menu screen can be held individuallyin TV receiver 30 and reproducing apparatus 10, and the changed displayformat information is mutually exchanged. Therefore, the display formatspecified in the menu screen of either TV receiver 30 or reproducingapparatus 10 is mutually reflected, and the menu screen suited to thepreference of the user is displayed regardless of the contents selectionat TV receiver 30 side or at reproducing apparatus 10 side.

As explained herein, the audio-visual system in the preferred embodimentof the present invention is an audio-visual system including TV receiver30 for on-screen display of drawn picture in a specified display format,and reproducing apparatus 10 for supplying the data including thecontents data of the contents to be reproduced to TV receiver 30, whichare interconnected by way of control cable 50. TV receiver 30 hasdisplay side drawing generation unit 36 for generating display sidedrawing data of drawn picture according to the display format ofon-screen display, and reproducing apparatus 10 has reproduction sidedrawing generation unit 16 for generating reproduction side drawing dataof drawn picture conforming to the display format of display in TVreceiver 30. Reproduction side drawing generation unit 16 receives thedisplay side display format information of drawing generation unit 36through connection cable 50, and generates the reproduction side drawingdata in the display format based on the received display side displayformat information. Reproducing apparatus 10 supplies the contents dataincluding the generated reproduction side drawing data to TV receiver 30through connection cable 50, and TV receiver 30 presents the drawnpicture on the basis of the supplied reproduction side drawing data.Display side drawing generation unit 36 receives the reproduction sidedisplay format information of drawing generation unit 16 throughconnection cable 50, and generates the display side drawing data in thedisplay format based on the received reproduction side display formatinformation. TV receiver 30 presents the drawn picture on the basis ofthe generated display side drawing data.

The audio-visual system, the reproducing apparatus, and the displaydevice in the preferred embodiment of the present invention have suchconfiguration, and therefore in generation of drawn picture such as menuscreen, reproduction side drawing generation unit 16 generates drawingdata in display format based on the display format of display sidedrawing generation unit 36. Display side drawing generation unit 36generates the drawing data in display format based on the display formatof reproduction side drawing generation unit 16. Accordingly, between TVreceiver 30 of display side and reproducing apparatus 10 of reproductionside, the position, shape and size of drawn picture can be adjustedcommonly, and the menu screen easily recognized by the user can bepresented, and the audio-visual system, the reproducing apparatus, andthe display device enhanced in convenience of operation for the user canbe presented.

In the present invention, by using only the remote controller of the TVreceiver, the reproducing apparatus and other external devices an becontrolled, and the menu screen suited to the visual recognition of theuser can be set commonly without having to set individually in eachdevice. Hence, the present invention can be applied, for example, in theaudio-visual system, the reproducing apparatus, and the display device,composed of the TV receiver and the display device, and other appliancesconnected thereto, such as the reproducing apparatus, recording andreproducing apparatus, camera device, personal computer, audioappliance, and others.

1. An audio-visual system comprising: a display device for on-screendisplay of a drawn picture in a specified display format, a reproducingapparatus for supplying data, which include contents data to bereproduced, to the display device; and the display device and thereproducing apparatus being connected by way of communication means,wherein the display device has a display side drawing generation unitfor generating display side drawing data of the drawn picture accordingto the display format of the on-screen display, wherein the reproducingapparatus has a reproduction side drawing generation unit for generatingreproduction side drawing data of the drawn picture according to thedisplay format for displaying on the display device, wherein thereproduction side drawing generation unit receives the display sidedisplay format information as the information of the display format ofthe display side drawing generation unit by way of communication means,and generates the reproduction side drawing data based on the receiveddisplay format information of the display side, wherein the reproducingapparatus supplies the contents data including the generatedreproduction side drawing data to the display device by way ofcommunication means, wherein the display device presents the drawnpicture based on the supplied reproduction side drawing data.
 2. Theaudio-visual system of claim 1, wherein the display side drawinggeneration unit receives the reproduction side display formatinformation as the information of the display format by way ofcommunication means, and generates the display side drawing data basedon the received display format information of the reproduction side,wherein the display device presents the drawn picture based on thegenerated display side drawing data.
 3. The audio-visual system of claim1, wherein the display device has a function of receiving aremote-control signal from a remote controller, and judging whether thereceived remote-control signal is for an operation on the display deviceor on the reproducing apparatus, wherein when the remote-control signalis judged to be for the operation on the reproducing apparatus, thedisplay device notices the instruction information of the receivedremote-control signal including instruction information as generationinstruction of the reproduction side drawing data on the reproductionside drawing generation unit to the reproducing apparatus by way of thecommunication means, wherein the reproducing apparatus executes aprocess according to the instruction information noticed by way of thecommunication means.
 4. The audio-visual system of claim 2, wherein thedisplay device has a function of receiving a remote-control signal froma remote controller, and judging whether the received remote-controlsignal is for an operation on the display device or on the reproducingapparatus, wherein when the remote-control signal is judged to be forthe operation on the reproducing apparatus, the display device noticesthe instruction information of the received remote-control signalincluding the instruction information as generation instruction of thereproduction side drawing data on the reproduction side drawinggeneration unit to the reproducing apparatus by way of the communicationmeans, wherein the reproducing apparatus executes a process according tothe instruction information noticed by way of the communication means.5. The audio-visual system of claim 3, wherein the display formatinformation includes at least one of the following: information of aposition of on-screen display of the drawn picture, information of asize of the drawn picture, information of a character size displayed onthe drawn picture, and information of detailing of contents displayed onthe drawn picture.
 6. The audio-visual system of claim 4, wherein thedisplay format information includes at least one of the following:information of a position of on-screen display of the drawn picture,information of a size of the drawn picture, information of a charactersize displayed on the drawn picture, and information of detailing ofcontents displayed on the drawn picture.
 7. The audio-visual system ofclaim 5, wherein the drawn picture includes a picture of a menu screenfor setting selectively a function of a corresponding device.
 8. Theaudio-visual system of claim 6, wherein the drawn picture includes apicture of a menu screen for setting selectively a function of acorresponding device.
 9. A reproducing apparatus, which is connected toa display device for on-screen display of a drawn picture in a specifieddisplay format and supplies data including contents data to bereproduced to the display device, comprising: a reproduction sidedrawing generation unit for receiving display side display formatinformation as information of the display format of the display device,and generating reproduction side drawing data of the display formatbased on the received display side display format information, and adata supply unit for supplying the reproduction side drawing data to thedisplay device together with the contents data.
 10. A display deviceconnected to a reproducing apparatus for supplying a data includingcontents data to be reproduced, for on-screen display of a drawn picturein a specified display format, comprising: a display side drawinggeneration unit for receiving reproduction side display formatinformation as the information of the display format of drawn picture ofthe reproducing apparatus, and generating display side drawing data ofthe display format based on the received reproduction side displayformat information.
 11. The display device of claim 10, furthercomprising: a remote-control receiver for receiving a remote-controlsignal from a remote controller, and a control unit, wherein the controlunit judges whether the remote-control signal is for an operation on thedisplay device or on the reproducing apparatus, and wherein when theremote-control signal is judged to be a remote-control signal for theoperation on the reproducing apparatus, the control unit noticesinformation of the display format of the drawn picture on thereproducing apparatus to the reproducing apparatus by way of thecommunication means as reproduction side display format information.